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A proposed 4-year software engineering curriculum

Published:01 August 1978Publication History
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Abstract

Computer science and engineering (CSE) departments in the nation's universities are the current targets of much criticism by software professionals. The common complaint is that the existing curricula do not relate to many of the most important problems a software engineer faces in the industrial/business environment.

If we define software engineering as the establishment and application of sound engineering principles to obtain economically software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines, it is mandatory that we recognize software engineering as more than simply converting a given set of program specifications into executable code. The software engineer must deal with the entire software life cycle which spans the time from the conception of the product, through the development phase, and finally to the end of its operational life. Medium- to large-scale software projects typically involve a myriad of managers, engineers, programmers, and customers which leads to the need for effective management and communications to ensure the best possible product.

Therefore, the software engineering curriculum must include the following basic education areas: computer science and engineering, management science, communication skills, and problem solving in addition to fundamental physical and business sciences.

Disparities between academic attitudes and profit-making realities are described and fundamental elements of an effective curriculum are proposed in this paper. A suggested 4-year curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Software Engineering is also presented.

References

  1. 1 Bauer, F. L., "Software Engineering," Information Processing 71, North Holland Publishing Co., 1972, p. 530.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  2. 2 Jensen, R. W., and C. C. Tonies, " Software Engineering Education: A Constructive Criticism," Proceedings of the Computer Science and Engineering Curricula Workshop (New York: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, June 6, 1977), p. 116.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar

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          cover image ACM SIGCSE Bulletin
          ACM SIGCSE Bulletin  Volume 10, Issue 3
          Proceedings of the 9th SIGCSE symposium on Computer science education
          August 1978
          178 pages
          ISSN:0097-8418
          DOI:10.1145/953028
          Issue’s Table of Contents
          • cover image ACM Conferences
            SIGCSE '78: Proceedings of the ninth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
            August 1978
            178 pages
            ISBN:9781450374347
            DOI:10.1145/800130

          Copyright © 1978 ACM

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          Association for Computing Machinery

          New York, NY, United States

          Publication History

          • Published: 1 August 1978

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